Talks Deadlocked, RTC Crew To Strike From Saturday

The TSRTC Joint Action Committee on Friday asseverated that they would go on strike from the midnight of October 5.

JAC leaders Aswathama Reddy, Raji Reddy, V S Rao and O Sudha told the media that they had demanded that the State government merge the TSRTC into the government, that the government implement a pay revision for the corporation employees with effect from April 4, 2017, and that the government fill all the vacant posts in the TSRTC.

They had also demanded that the State government plug the losses being incurred by the corporation by initiating adequate measures, and that the government hand over the responsibility of operating electric buses to the corporation instead of to private bus operators.

The JAC leaders said that the government had refused to give a written assurance to resolve their demands within a specific timeframe, and that with no commitment from the government, they were left with no option but to go on strike.

Barring security and paramedical staff, all the TSRTC workers and employees are expected to go on the strike from Friday midnight.

A three-member IAS officer committee comprising Special Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar, Principal Secretary for Transport Sunil Sharma and Principal Secretary for Finance K Ramakrishna Rao, appointed to negotiate with the unions, said that the government was well-prepared to handle the RTC strike. RTC officials are planning to operate some 12,000 buses, including 2,100 hired ones and 10,000 school buses, to make up for the 10,000+ RTC buses that will go off the roads in the event of a strike. Drivers and other staff are also being hired temporarily with daily payments.

Private operators of bus, auto-rickshaw and cab services have been warned against collecting additional charges from passengers taking advantage of the strike.

Somesh Kumar requested the JAC leaders to withdraw their strike call and attend to their duties.